The Denison University music department presents world-renowned trombonist Abbie Conant in a concert titled "The Wired Goddess and Her Trombone" at 8 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 22) in Burke Recital Hall. As solo trombone of the Munich Philharmonic, Conant lived through one of the most astounding and well-documented gender discrimination cases in the music world. She will also give a trombone master class at 8 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 21) in Burke. Both events are free and open to the public.

link[link1]Abbie Conant

The Wired Goddess project is devoted to the exploration of the goddess theme and is designed to further a repertoire for solo trombone and electronics that can be performed by college-age trombonists. With this project, Conant would like to help composers create repertoire pieces that stick around, even if technology marches on.

The Denison program opens with "Music for the End of Time," composed by Conant's husband William Osborne. Other performed pieces include "The Elderberry Goddess" by Elizabeth Hoffmann and "Time Bomb" by Anna Rubin, among others.

After attending the Interlochen Arts Academy on a scholarship, Conant attended Temple University, studied at Yale and earned a master's degree from the Julliard School where she studied with Per Brevig of the Metropolitan Opera.

The International Trombone Association Journal has featured Conant in a cover article and described her as "in the rank of world class trombonists." She has recorded a highly acclaimed CD of trombone and organ music and performs internationally as a concerto soloist, recitalist and performance artist, including appearances with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, the St. Joseph's Symphony and the Halle Symphony Orchestra.

In an article titled "We Need a Man for Solo Trombone," published in theJournal of the International Association of Women in Music(Feb. 1996), Monique Buzzarte recounts Conant's extensive legal battle with the city of Munich. After being demoted from her position of solo trombone with the Munich Philharmonic in 1982, Conant filed a lawsuit against the city for gender discrimination and won. Despite this victory, appeals sent Conant back into the court for more legal battles. It was not until 1993 that Conant regained her position receiving the same pay and seniority as her male colleagues.

Conant has been a guest on National Public Radio's "Performance Today," is the subject of a docu-musical film "Abbie Get Your Gun," in addition to being profiled inThe Wall Street JournalandThe Washington Post. In August of 1998 she was the first woman to serve as judicator for the International Trombone Competition in Geneva, Switzerland. She also has composed a series of music theater works concerning the Holocaust which have been performed in Germany to large audiences with critical success.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

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stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575